Improvement in sluice and flood gates



B..B. DOWNS. I Sluice and Flood-Gate.

No. 207,955. Ptntd Sept. 10'. I878.

W 0771mm w (Li/7km o'rv N-FETERS, FNOTO-LITHOGRQPMER, WASHINGTON, Dv C.

UNITED STATES-PATENT OFFI E.

BURAGE B. DOWNS, OF EAU CLAIRE, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN SLUYICEV AND FLooo' GATES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 267,955, datedSeptember 10, 1878; application filed July 27, "1878.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BURAGE B. DowNs, of Eau Claire, in the county of EauClaire and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Sluice and Flood Gates; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing specification, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, forming part thereof, is a full, clear, and completedescription of my said invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a verticallongitudinal section of a sluiceway embracing my improvements, the gatebeing shown as closed. Fig. 2 is a similar view, the gate being shown asopened and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section above the gate.

In the drawings, the arrow indicates the flow of the current in thesluice, and the double-barbed arrow indicates the pointof greatestpressure of the water when at its height.

Various constructions of flood and sluice gates have been devised toavoid the binding of the gate in its ways by reason of the pressure ofwater when raised vertically; but, so far as I am aware, only the mostcumbrous devices have been used or proposed to obviate this difficulty,such as racks upon the gate itself, connecting with heavy operating-beams, crank-movements, and the like, requiring almost the same amount oflabor in manipulating them as does the ordinary rack-andpinionarrangement of the old sluice-gate.

I avoid the difficulty referred to by running the gate upon rolls inways through the agency of chains or ropes over pulleys, and notably bypivoting the gate at a point nearer its bottom than its center, and upona crossshaft which it carries, journaled in antifriction hearings orrolls, which ride in vertical ways and permit of the gates tiltingangularly at the proper moment of pressure.

While the result sought is the raising and the closing of the gate withthe least possible exertion and without difficulty, the specific objectof my improvements is to provide such a construction of the gate andmeans for operating it as shall attain said object in the simplestpossible manner. This construction is hereinafter fully described wit-h.reference to the accompanying drawings, and the pai ticular features ofinvention are pointed out in the claims. I

Referring to the drawings, A is the bottom sluice wall or way, B thesides, and C the deck. Upon the-inner faces of the two sides B arecleat-like posts or guides D D. The. space E between these posts orguides forms the guideway for the cross pivot-shaft roll, which is .uponthe outer side of the gate F, or on that side which does not bear thebrunt of the current, and extends beyond its edges and bears upon theadjacentfaces of theposts or guides D.

The gate is of the usual plain construction, except that upon the sidewhich does not bear the brunt of the current are side or cheek beams aa, in which, at a point below the center of the gate, are boxes I) b,for a crossshaft, 0, which shaft is journaled or terminates inanti-friction rolls (1 d, which move in the guideway.

Upon the opposite side of said gate F, at its top, are, in suitableboxes 6 e, anti-friction rolls f f, designed to bear upon and move upand down the posts G G in the opening and closing of the gate.

'At or slightly below the pivotal line of the gate is attached a rope orchain, H, which passes up over a pulley or sheave, I, in a suit able boxupon the deck of the sluice, and con nects with the operating-winch K,while an other rope or chain, L, passes from the same .winch through thedeck, around a pulley, M,

on the under side of the deck, through an opening near the middle top ofthe gate F, as at g, which rope or chain should be weighted,

as at h, to take up the slack. The rope or chain H is employed forraising the gate, and the rope or chain L for lowering it, one by thedirect and the other by the reverse turning of the winch, as will behereinafter described. The bearing-surfaces of the differentposts orguides are preferably sheathed with metal.

The operation of opening and closing the gate is as follows: Viewing theinvention as illustrated in Fig. 1, the crank of the winch is directlyturned, and the gate rises in the guideway E, the bottom rolls, d (1,bearing upon the posts or guides D, and the current or force of water atthe point indicated by the double-barbed arrow operating to tilt the pivoted gate, and as the turning of the winch continues, the rolls f f, byreason of the tilting of the gate, bear upon the posts G G, as seen inFig. 2; and when the bottom rolls, (1 d, reach the top of the posts orguides D, the gate is open, and is held in position by its bearing uponthe posts Gr and D. Reverse the turning of the winch and the gate againcloses, as in Fig. 1.

The main shaft 0 of the gate being placed at a point near the center ofpressure of the water when at its height, it follows that the gate Fwill then maintain its vertical position with little assistance. Theshaft 0 is also placed a little above the center of pressure and belowthe middle of the gate, so that when the rope or chain, attached as atg, is released, the gate takes a position parallel to that shown in Fig.2, and the pressure of the water, being then perpendicular to the gateso inclined, greatly assists in raising the gate to the position shownin Fig. 2.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patcut- 1. A sluice and flood gate moving in ways uponanti-friction rolls, and adapted to swing on a line below its center,substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The gate F, having rolls d d at its pivotal point, and rolls f f atits top, in combination with the guideways E and posts or guides D D,substantially as described, whereby said gate assumes an angularposition when rising and when opened, as set forth.

3. In a sluice or flood way, the gate F, provided with cheek-beams a a,pivot-rolls d (1 below its center and near its base, and rolls f f onits opposite side at the top, in combination with guideways E, posts GG, and a raising and a lowering cord or chain, H and L, substantially asand for the purpose described.

BURAGE B. DOWNS.

Witnesses:

A. D. GHAPPELL, H. O. VN. HOVENBERG.

